cooperlola

Sue, reading your post I am bound to wonder whether the Daft Doctor might not be better off looking for a rental property via a Notaire (in our local town the only "estate agent" equivalent available anyway) then they could set up the same process which yours did at the same time?  Just a thought.

Sorry, Q, I meant loads of Brits (same motorway as the one coming South from the  Channel.) My Dutch friends are unfailingly generous but it is true that they arrive with massive lorries and/or trailers when they turn up for the race - all full of Dutch food and booze!

Yes, Emily, starting to see a lot of UK reg' cars heading south now.  Loads on the motorway  on our way back from Belgium on Monday too.

"Those buggy things" cost a bomb in France (as Norman well knows!) and in fact aren't very common.  I bought mine in the UK.  What's more, its battery is vecroed on and lifts off very easily for recharging so it may be that people didn't need to ask, even if they did have to put them on charge.  I just take mine into my room and charge it at a conventional socket. Bet you're right about the handles too.  Far cheaper to import, I suspect.  But I'll check.  Sometimes and for some things, they surprise me.

[quote user="Quillan"] [quote user="cooperlola"]I was disagreeing with Q,not you, and then only in a perfectly friendly way, I hope! [/quote] If we were disagreeing I never noticed. [;-)] I try to see both sides but sometimes things you might like to do can't be done. I looked at the link you gave with these 'suck on' handles. One thought came to mind at the time, why don't people that need them bring them with them? Cheap, don't look like they weigh much and can easily fit in the bag with all the other stuff. You could, providing there were no access problems go anywhere. [/quote]I had exactly the same thought.  It's dependent upon the surface being smoothe and clean but I could assess that as  I go so am quite tempted to invest in one.  I have to travel with a manual chair, a scooter (the second for long trips, the first in case the 2nd breaks down or runs out of battery or the access is too steep/too many steps, high curbs etc for the scooter) two crutches and a shower stool so I guess one more bit of kit won''t make a lot of difference!![:D] I still reckon that if an owner could say that such things were "available on request" then that would be great.  Thanks so much Quillan & Babbles for thinking of us and taking the description thing on board.  5 gold stars![:D][:P] I realise that this place has adapted rooms but I link to THIS just to give you an idea of the kind of information which can be so helpful in making a good choice.

Funnily enough, I posted on a similar set of bits recently.  Be aware that the recepteur (slave cylinder - thanks to Chancer & others I now know this!) is steering wheel side specific, as I found out to my cost,so you must make sure that you get the right bit.  My garage ordered one and it turned up LHD so we in the end settled on my buying it in the UK.  Pretty cheap that way, as Chancer says, so if you can do this kind of deal you'll save a fair bit on the part at least.

A little light relief: [IMG]http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q103/cooperlola/Disabled.jpg[/IMG] (Mods: if there's a problem with this I'll change it to an off-site link.) GRECIAN'S LINK

I was disagreeing with Q,not you, and then only in a perfectly friendly way, I hope!  Sorry I hijacked your thread somewhat.  All I was suggesting was an accessibility section in b&b's websites.  Yes, I absolutely get your point and thus I think if you say just that, that you have 3 steps to your front door then a shower with one step in, you might get a few guests with mobility problems who can happily cope with that (as I can, for instance) who would otherwise totally ignore a place they could stay in perfectly well, with a bit of supervision when climbing said steps and somebody to carry their bags.

I watched this morning, the Panorama programme, mentioned on a recent thread by Quillan, about the assessment process and the French company responsible for doing the tests.  What was very interesting was that, even in the UK, it seems that little or no reference was made to any medical records so that people who could perform the tasks asked of them (one was moving an empty cardboard box, ffs) were deemed fit for work, even if they had underlying problems which would not affect said performance. Stan, I don't know what to tell you, except to say - as mentioned in said thread which I linked above - that you need to get a good idea of what will be asked and the nature of the examination.  It may well be that no matter what your medical history, nor the nature of your problems, that the unfair nature of the system (and I don't mean the French one but the way these tests are being carried out and the company's motivations whilst doing them) could get you into problems not of your making.  I know that it was TV but some of those turned down had horror stories to tell so get as prepared as you can.  There was a solicitor in the UK mentioned on the prog' who has had 100% (honestly!) of the claimants' rejections which have been referred to him, overturned, so there's a lot you can do if the worst happens. Cr*p for you if it's ruining what should be a relaxing time and the chance to recuperate.  I know how you feel.  4 years on, I am still fighting  against the derisory award which I have been offered following a road accident.  It's bloomin' exhausting and not what you need when you're less than fit, for work or whatever else you want to do with your life.

You talk about James Dyson in the past tense, Chancer.  Is he dead? Never had any problems with the upright - my DCO4 is now 8 and working very well but the filters do need to be cleaned properly on a regular basis, as do the brushes on the base.  The DCO1 was fine but the filters very pricey.  Never found a vacuum so easy to push about on carpets which was so easy on my back to boot.  With 6 cats, 3 dogs and 2 ponies as we had in the UK, nothing picked their hair off the carpets like it did, nor was such a doddle to use on stairs.  I got a cylinder when I came here and am singularly unimpressed in comparison - not a patch on the original, imho.  Sexy?  The DCO4 is the most disgusting green colour you could ever imagine.[+o(]  Yes, that green!

Idun, I smiled at your Henry comment re the carpets - just why I said they are rubbish for them - the thing sucks so hard that you can hardly push it about unless you weaken the power by opening the vent, as you say! Clair, I got a little bagless vacuum cleaner with my SuperU points the other day and it is really excellent - a Sherpa Tornado which I think might be made by Electrolux - apart from the very small "tank".  It came with loads of tools and two washable filers.  .

Whereas I adore the upright Dyson, I'm not convinced about its cylinder cousin which has always felt like a compromise to me.  Lots of people swear by Mieles so why not stick with what you know?  Or try a Henry - rubbish on carpets but fine on hard floors - heavier and a bit more awkward to drag around than a Miele but has a much longer hose.  (I used to do a bit of cleaning so I've tried 'em all in my time!)

Talking of sitting by the roadside minding your own business: [IMG]http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q103/cooperlola/Spa2012098.jpg[/IMG] If you have never been to Spa, the sight of all the competing cars (over 60 for the 24 hours) driving past you on the street is surreal to say the very least.

[quote user="NormanH"] I should be in and out like a ferret...[/quote]Typical chap then, N![6] Glad it went well and that the pain is gone.  Result.[:)]

I agree with you so strongly, Woolyb but this seems to be quite common in the way these assesments are going to be done/have been done here and I think it stinks. Fwiw, Stan, I would still - in your shoes - try to get access to the report done in the UK by the medics involved in your diagnoses over there, perhaps even going to the length of having them translated.  At the very least, get a fluent French speaker to go with you (sorry, that's a bit of an insult as for all I know you are one!) so that you have your say in full.  I doubt whether the medical staff involved in these asssesments truly appreciates that it's not so much about money, but your right to remain in France.

Lovely, thank you!   Have a look at these things, you chambre d'hote and gite owners: http://www.mobilitysmart.cc/daily-living-aids/grab-rails/suction-grab-rails-c-30_86_825.html How neat are those and you can hardly say they'd break the bank!

I don't really want to start all this stuff again, Sprogster, as it's not going to help Stan at all.  I did say it was unproven but I can tell you that the PS was very supportive of us during our campaign, especially the MEPs.  However, as you say, things are different when you're in government.  I still believe that the law discriminates against Stan because he has a medical problem - if he did not his private healthcare would be much, much cheaper - and that is the sort of thing which a socialist has much more trouble ignoring than the previous lot did.  So my advice remains that he should appeal under the provisions, at least as a starting point.

I guess I really wanted to make the point to Babbles that if her website had an "access" section that might help her get a few people who wouldn't otherwise come.  Just "three steps to the front door,  step into large shower, shower stool and grab handles available on request" - that type of thing, would be really great and we should see more of it, imho.  Of course I get that it has to be an economic decision for a small business but I've seen it done tastefully and well (an able bodied person wouldn't have known it was an adapted room in its normal guise) so I know it's possible to do without putting off/offending the able bodied amongst us.  What's more, many places would be quite acceptable to the majority of so-called disabled guests with little or no modification, if only they were described properly.

Sprogster, the accident de vie provisions are not solely concerned with those who are unfit for work, they are also for those unable to get private insurance.  Thus our o/p may still have a medical condition which makes him eligible, even if he passes the medical, that is the point.  Whatever anybody's personal opinions about the EU regs, in his shoes I think he should try it.

Theoretically, reading your post, you would not qualify as you were aware that you had your medical problems before you moved and that was after the cut-off date.  However, I reckon that you'd have a good case to apply under the accident de vie provisions, since you were not aware that your E121 would be withdrawn, and this all asssumes that it will be! What I don't know either is whether it's possible for you to sign on (or do the equivalent) over here if the French medical authorites say you're fit for work.  At the very least, you might be able to consider some sort of small business and set up an AE.  If none of these options work then yes, I reckon you'd be deemed a burden on the social security system so you'd have to sell up and go back to the UK - just the scenario which was predicted when those of us who already lived here before the cut off date were faced with five years ago.  Very grim, I remember it well. That having been said, there's a new government, and there is probably a little more wriggle room than there was, although that's unproven.  But to me it would be a clear case of discrimination since, whatever the cost, you can't get full private insurance which will cover your condition so you don't comply with the regs anyway if you get thrown out.  In that event, I think that the European Commission would help you to make your case. Whatever happens, don't panic.  If you do get ejected from the system there is a lot of right of appeal and they can't budge you from it until all the avenues have been exhausted.  How old are you both, if you don't mind my asking?

You just programme the series on mine and it does the planning for you!  Oh, the wonders of modern technology.[:)]

Well, fine, but they have a choice, we don't. The lovely little place in the Vendee has a large bathroom with nice wide sliding door and a wet room.  When disabled guests turn up, the owner puts grab handles with great big suckers onto the tiled walls and brings in the shower stool.  Job done.  Not at all offputting to lucky, sick minded guests who think that the rest of us are less than human for being unable to use a normal shower.  But I think that's my point Q.  Most people with access problems aren't actually in wheelchairs, they just have more trouble than some with the everyday things in life.  Thus a bit of thought in planning new rooms, and a good description of the access to your properties would go a long way to help appease those people who are less fortunate than you are!  Believe me, until it happens to you, you have no idea how insulting it is to be treated like a second class citizen every day of your life, and to be prevented from enjoying such basic things as a nice hot bath! But I digress.  Sorry, Babbles.

[quote user="Quillan"] At this time of the year my only small pleasure is to sit down for an hour with a cup of tea and a sandwich to watch Bargain Hunt only to find it's changed both channel and time. Grrrrrrrrr [:@] [/quote]This is what HDD recorders are for, Quillan. 

Dear lord it's a watch, ffs. Although I adored the 917s to bits and have a rather lovely painting of a Gulf one on my wall, I really never got the Steve McQueen thing.  The car is rather better looking than he was. Besides not being a particularly great actor he was just that, an actor.  Newman was by a long way the better driver.  Yes, the racing footage in the movie is great but it's a pretty dire film apart from that.  I guess there are so few motor racing movies and most of them bad, that it's any port in a storm.

Babbles, one of the problems of the "disabled friendly" concept is that it is always aimed at wheelchair users (fair enough) and isn't specific enough.  I, for example, can manage a few steps, plus I always travel with a little shower stool so can use most ordinary showers as long as they have decent grab handles and  I don't have to step into a bath to get into them.  I can't be alone.  I have found a website in the UK for disabled travellers where owners of properties describe the access to their places (number of steps, types of shower, dining room access etc etc).  Pity such a thing doesn't seem to exist here in France. I've just come back from Belgium where every place with 10 rooms or more has to have adapted accommodation.  The problem is it means you can never stay at the nice, romantic little places that others can.  Sorry to hijack and go on about this, Babbles, but I'm in the middle of planning a trip and you cannot imagine how restrictive (not to say bloomin' expensive) being unable to use a normal room can be.